Emerging evidence suggests that gestational or developmental vitamin D (DVD) deficiency is associated with an increased risk of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). ASD is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by impairments in social interaction, lack of verbal and non-verbal communications, stereotyped repetitive behaviors and hyper-activities. There are several other clinical features that are commonly comorbid with ASD, including olfactory impairments, anxiety and delays in motor development. Here we investigate these features in an animal model related to ASD-the DVD-deficient rat. Compared to controls, both DVD-deficient male and female pups show altered ultrasonic vocalizations and stereotyped repetitive behavior. Further, the DVD-deficient animals had delayed motor development and impaired motor control. Adolescent DVD-deficient animals had impaired reciprocal social interaction, while as adults, these animals were hyperactive. The DVD-deficient model is associated with a range of behavioral features of interest to ASD.
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http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6566814 | PMC |
http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/nu11051187 | DOI Listing |
Nat Commun
January 2025
College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, National Key Laboratory of Advanced Drug Delivery and Release Systems, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.
Nicotinamide (NAM), a main precursor of NAD+, is essential for cellular fuel respiration, energy production, and other cellular processes. Transporters for other precursors of NAD+ such as nicotinic acid and nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN) have been identified, but the cellular transporter of nicotinamide has not been elucidated. Here, we demonstrate that equilibrative nucleoside transporter 1 and 2 (ENT1 and 2, encoded by SLC29A1 and 2) drive cellular nicotinamide uptake and establish nicotinamide metabolism homeostasis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCurr Top Dev Biol
January 2025
Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, Baltimore, MD, United States. Electronic address:
Retinoids, particularly all-trans-retinoic acid (ATRA), play crucial roles in various physiological processes, including development, immune response, and reproduction, by regulating gene transcription through nuclear receptors. This review explores the biosynthetic pathways, homeostatic mechanisms, and the significance of retinoid-binding proteins in maintaining ATRA levels. It highlights the intricate balance required for ATRA homeostasis, emphasizing that both excess and deficiency can lead to severe developmental and health consequences.
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January 2025
Daniel Baugh Institute for Functional Genomics and Computational Biology, Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Sidney Kimmel Medical College, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, United States. Electronic address:
All-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) signaling is a major pathway regulating numerous differentiation, proliferation, and patterning processes throughout life. ATRA biosynthesis depends on the nutritional availability of vitamin A and other retinoids and carotenoids, while it is sensitive to dietary and environmental toxicants. This nutritional and environmental influence requires a robustness response that constantly fine-tunes the ATRA metabolism to maintain a context-specific, physiological range of signaling levels.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCurr Top Dev Biol
January 2025
Development, Aging, and Regeneration Program, Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute, La Jolla, CA, United States. Electronic address:
All-trans RA (ATRA) is a small molecule derived from retinol (vitamin A) that directly controls gene expression at the transcriptional level by serving as a ligand for nuclear ATRA receptors. ATRA is produced by ATRA-generating enzymes that convert retinol to retinaldehyde (retinol dehydrogenase; RDH10) followed by conversion of retinaldehyde to ATRA (retinaldehyde dehydrogenase; ALDH1A1, ALDH1A2, or ALDH1A3). Determining what ATRA normally does during vertebrate development has been challenging as studies employing ATRA gain-of-function (RA treatment) often do not agree with genetic loss-of-function studies that remove ATRA via knockouts of ATRA-generating enzymes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFItal J Pediatr
January 2025
Department of developmental and behavior pediatrics, Children's Medical Center, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Jilin University, Changchun, China.
Background: Recent studies have emphasized the association between prolonged screen exposure and neurodevelopmental disorders, though its correlation with tic disorders (TDs) remains ambiguous. We thus conducted this study to investigate the association between screen time (ST) and the severity of tic symptoms in children diagnosed with TDs.
Methods: We conducted a retrospective case-control study with 342 cases of TDs and 270 controls, collecting data from March 2021 to December 2023.
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